


Fluffy Becoming

by Hils



Series: The Fluffy Files [10]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-13
Updated: 2001-08-13
Packaged: 2018-10-08 22:46:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10397871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hils/pseuds/Hils





	

Spike let his mind switch off as Angelus stood in front of the obelisk, which he'd stolen from the local museum and had transported to the mansion. He was now telling them that it was in fact a tomb containing Acathla, a demon who possessed the ability to suck the world into hell. He liked nothing better than to show off his extensive knowledge combined with his lust for blood. Dru, at least found it enticing.

She smiled and clapped her hands. "It will be such a party, my Angel. Side by side we'll stroll through the pretty garden, all filled with blood and pain."

She shivered with delight at the thought of it.

"Leave me now," Angelus instructed. "I have a lot of preparing to do."

_Me too_. Spike thought to himself.

* * *

"I want you to give Angel a message for me," Buffy yelled at the vampire she had pinned beneath her. "Tell him I'm done waiting. I want this over with."

The vampire continued to struggle and with a sigh Buffy plunged her stake into his heart.

"Fine, I'll tell him myself." she muttered, climbing to her feet and brushing herself off.

"You're not going to get his attention like that, pet."

Buffy swung around, stake in hand to find Spike standing before her, a small smirk on his lips.

"Well, lucky for me you're just in time to meet the same fate as your friend there."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "You want to dust me, then go ahead and try it, but it just so happens that I'm here to help you."

Buffy scoffed. "Right, help to lead me into some sort of trap. I'm not a total idiot, Spike. Why don't you just go back to Angel and tell him to face me himself, I'm sure he wants this over with as much as I do."

"Well, I'm sure Angel would love to come and have a few rounds with his ex, but he's a little preoccupied with plotting the end of the world at the moment. Still, I'll tell him you said 'hi'."

As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm and spun him back to face her. "Alright, supposing I believe that you are here to help, why come to me?"

He shrugged. "A simple piece of logic really. You're strong, you hate Angel and I can't fight him and Dru on own."

It was all Buffy could do to stop herself from laughing out loud. "And you just expect me to forget about all the time you tried to kill me and be best buddies with you?"

He shook his head. "I don't expect you to like it, but you know as well as I do that you can't take on Angel and Dru alone any better than I could."

Buffy glared at him for a moment, desperately trying to find a reason, any reason, to stake him right where he stood. But deep down she knew he was right. Taking on Angel alone was one thing, but fighting him and Drusilla together was going to be more than a little tough. As loathed as she was to admit it, she was going to need help. She just hadn't expected it to come in the shape of her former enemy. Finally she sighed.

"Alright, talk. Tell me everything you know about what Angel is planning."

Spike glanced around.

"We can't talk here. This place is crawling with Angel's boys. We get seen and the whole thing gets blown."

Buffy sighed again.

"Fine, this way."

They began to walk side by side, continually watching each other in case they attacked. Neither of them wanted to be there, but at the same time they knew they had no choice

* * *

"Buffy, thank goodness you're back," Giles called as he heard the library doors open. "I believe I may have found out what Angel is plan-"

His words trailed off as he came out of his office and saw that Buffy wasn't alone.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Giles asked icily, keeping his eyes locked on Spike.

"Well, I've been meaning to brush up on my reading for some time," Spike quipped. "Thought this was a good a place as any to start."

Buffy jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, silencing him.

"Spike's here to help," she told her wary watcher. "He says Angel is planning something big."

"He is." Giles replied. "I've just discovered that the item which was stolen from the museum a few days ago was in fact a tomb containing a demon called-"

"Acathla." Spike finished. "Angel's planning on waking him up and sucking the whole world into hell."

Giles nodded. "Exactly as I thought. Still, we should have some time to come up with a plan of some sort. Angel will have to perform a ritual in order to awaken Acathla. From what I can tell it is a complicated procedure and he'll also have to translate the text before he can begin."

"Ok," Buffy replied. "We need to move fast. Spike, you go back to Angel's. Tomorrow night we attack and hit him with everything we've got. You'll be our element of surprise, just be ready to back us up when I signal you."

Spike nodded and turned to leave.

"Spike," Buffy called after him. He turned back to face her. "I hope you're prepared to kill Drusilla if you have to."

He shrugged. "She's Angel's girl now. Killing her isn't an issue."

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Buffy's heart went out to him for a moment. What she saw reflected what she had felt in her own heart when she realized she had lost Angel. No one deserved to feel that much pain, not even a vampire like Spike.

"I'm sorry." she whispered softly.

Spike gave her a small smile and a second later he was gone.

"Buffy, are you sure it's wise to trust Spike?" Giles asked with concern.

She nodded. "I can't explain it Giles, but I do trust him. Besides, we really don't have much of a choice."

Giles sighed, fervently praying that Buffy was right about Spike.

* * *

Spike made it back to the mansion just a few minutes before Angelus and Dru returned from their nightly hunt. He quickly climbed back into his wheelchair, thankful that now he knew it wouldn't be for much longer.

He couldn't help but let a smile cross his face as he thought back to what had just happened. Not only was he now part of a plan to take down Angel, an event itself which he had been dreaming of for months, but also he actually felt that he'd met someone who understood what he was going through with Dru. This was made all the more strange by the fact that it was the person who, until recently, he'd hated more than anyone.

Muffled voices brought him out of his thoughts, or more specifically one voice, Angelus. Spike wheeled over to the doorway and watched.

"What do you mean you need more time??" Angelus roared at a cowering minion.

"Th-the text i-is in a very a-ancient language," the minion stammered. "I-it's taking t-time to t-translate."

"Then why are you wasting time standing here talking to me?" Angelus demanded with a growl. "Get out of my sight and don't let me see you again until you've finished."

Not needing to be told twice, the minion quickly scurried away.

Dru wandered over to Angelus, wrapped her arms around him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Not long, my sweet," she whispered softly in his ear. "Soon we can play."

This didn't seem to appease Angelus, until he looked up and saw Spike in the doorway. An evil grin spread across his face.

"Spike!" he sneered with mock sincerity. "Just the vampire I wanted to see."

Spike immediately knew something was going on, but he played innocent, waiting to see what Angelus was doing.

"Missed me did you?" he asked as he wheeled into the main room. "I'm touched. Didn't miss anything did I?"

"Only this." Angelus marched over, grabbed Spike's chair and tipped it over, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Spike yelled, not wanting to give anything away unless he had to. Dru hovered behind Angelus, looking confused.

"I heard on the grapvine that you went out tonight."

"So what if I did?" Spike snapped. "I've been cooped up in here for long enough, thought I'd take the chair for a spin."

Angelus didn't look convinced. "Do I look like an idiot to you, Spike?"

"You've always looked like an idiot, I think it's something to do with the hair gel. But that's got nothing to do with this."

Angelus snarled and, seemingly from nowhere, he pulled out a stake. "No one makes fun out of me, especially not a pathetic little vampire like you."

He plunged the stake down. Spike's survival instincts immediately kicked in and he rolled aside, the stake missing his heart and instead piercing his shoulder. He howled in pain and knew that there was no point in tying to hide it any longer. He climbed to his feet and faced Angelus squarely.

"Well, looks like you found me out."

Dru began to screech in the background. "This is so disappointing, we're supposed to be a family."

Spike shrugged. "Sorry, baby. I never was a family man."

She slipped into her vampiric face and lunged at him, tackling him to the floor and slashing at him with her nails. Angelus watched, amused, for a few moments until he decided he wanted a piece of the action himself. He hauled Spike and Dru to their feet and held Dru back.

"Now Dru, it's not nice to keep all the fun to yourself. You should share."

He punched Spike hard in the face and the blow sent him flying across the room. He struggled to his feet and knew that he had to get out of there. There was no way he could fight Angelus and Dru alone on a good day, never mind when he was wounded. He staggered over to the door and stumbled out into the night.

Dru shot Angelus a look, wondering if they should go after him. He shook his head.

"Leave him. Once Acathla wakes up, there'll be nowhere else for him to run."

* * *

Buffy sat up in bed, fluffed her pillow a little and lay back down. She was so restless and finding it impossible to sleep. The last few weeks had been spent building up to this moment, the moment when she would finally destroy Angel. It had taken a lot to get her to the point when she was actually ready to do it and there had been casualties. No matter what happened, she was never going to be able to forget those that she hadn't been able to save, Jenny Calendar especially.

A soft tapping on her window brought her from her thoughts and she quickly climbed out of bed and went to investigate.

"Spike?" She exclaimed when she saw the blonde vampire peering inside. She quickly opened the window. "What are you doing here?"

It was then that she noticed his disheveled appearance. His lip was swollen and blood was pouring from his nose. Bruises were also starting to show along his jaw and there were scratches down his cheek.

"What happened?" she asked before realizing he was stuck outside until she invited him in. "Oh, come in, Spike."

She helped him climb over the window ledge and she guided him over to her bed.

"Angel," Spike said weakly as Buffy began to search under her bed for something. "One of his boys must have seen me coming back."

Buffy sat back on the bed, first aid kit in hand. She began to gently wipe the cuts on his face. "He knows you're working with me?"

Spike shook his head. "I don't think so, he just knew that I'd been out and that my legs have healed. He didn't follow me when I ran anyway, I guess he thought he wouldn't need to."

"How close it he to finishing his ritual?"

"We've still got some time; they're still working on a translation."

Buffy nodded, the element of surprise may have been lost but they still had time to stop Angel before it was too late.

"I'm guessing Angel is responsible for this?" Buffy asked as she wiped the blood from Spike's nose.

He lowered his eyes. "He had a little help."

For a split second she didn't know what he was talking about, then it hit her. "Dru."

Spike nodded. "She looked at me like I was a piece of dirt on the bottom of her shoe. I've never seen her like that, Slayer. I knew she didn't love me anymore, but I never thought she hated me like that."

Buffy continued to tend his wounds in silence. She knew better than anyone what it felt like to suddenly realize the person that you love hates you. Nothing she could say to Spike was going to make it better; all she could do was listen if he decided he wanted to talk. A kind ear was probably what he needed more than anything right now.

"How did you cope?" he eventually asked. "When you found out Angel had gone back to his evil self, what did you do?"

Buffy sighed. "You want the truth? I didn't cope. I cried until it felt like my whole body was just a dead, empty shell and even then I couldn't stop."

Spike looked surprised, he had difficulties seeing her as anything other than the strong person sitting before him. "What happened?"

Buffy smiled. "My friends. They were so supportive. They helped me so much. Gave me the strength to go on."

Spike lowered his head. "It must have been nice."

Buffy cupped his chin in her hand and raised his head to that his eyes met hers, a lone tear ran down his cheek and she brushed it away with her hand.

"You have a friend now."

Spike cocked his head to one side, not seeing if she was teasing him or not. He saw nothing but sincerity in her eyes and he smiled. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, their lips brushing for mere seconds. Spike pulled back and looked at her almost shyly.

"Thanks, luv."

Buffy smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed herself. Then she frowned. "Spike, where are you going to stay tonight?"

He hadn't really thought that far ahead, his main concern so far had been not getting dusted by Angel and telling Buffy that their cover had been blown.

"I dunno. I'm sure I can find somewhere to crash for the night."

Buffy took a deep breath. "You…you could stay here."

As soon as she saw Spike's stunned face, she wished the floor would open up and swallow her. "It would just be for tonight. You're hurt, and Angel might be looking for you. You'd be safe here."

For once, Spike was lost for words. "I dunno, pet."

Buffy stood up, having made up her mind. "Look, you know it's the most sensible thing to do. Now, come with me and no arguments."

Spike sighed and stood up, knowing better than to argue with her. He followed her into the spare room where she was already in the process of making up the bed.

"You can sleep here." Buffy said as she placed another blanket on the bed. Spike was touched that she had gone to all this effort for him. He began to take off his duster but hissed in pain as he jarred the stake wound. Buffy turned around, immediately concerned.

"What is it?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, pet. I'm fine."

Ignoring him she walked over and helped to ease him out of his coat. It was then that she saw that the entire front of his shirt was soaked in blood.

"Oh, my God." she gasped. "What did they do to you?"

Spike tried to smile through the pain that was now making its presence known. "Angel decided he wanted your job…introduced me to a nice, pointy piece of wood."

Buffy's eyes widened. "He staked you?"

"Tried to. Lucky for me his aim was a bit off."

Before he was even finished she was out of the door, returning a few seconds later with the first aid kit in her hand.

"Really, Slayer," Spike protested. "It's nothing. I'll be fine once I've had a good kip."

"Sit down." she instructed, opening the kit and ignoring his protests. Spike found himself complying, despite the fact that he knew he should be arguing with her at least.

"Take off your shirt."

Again he complied, wincing as he removed the bloodied shirt from his body. Buffy took a look at the wound and a nauseated feeling crept into her stomach. Trying to resist the urge to throw up, she began to clean him up.

"I don't know why you didn't mention this before." she grumbled, trying to keep her mind off the task.

Unable to stop himself, Spike reached out and brushed a hand over her cheek. "Worried about me?"

Her head snapped up. "Of course I am. I need you in fighting shape for when we take on Angel."

His face fell. "Right."

Instantly Buffy regretted her words. The truth was, her concern went beyond needing him to fight, it had started when she'd seen his battered and forlorn face peering though her window and had grown ever since.

"I-it's not just that," she stammered. "Angel has brought enough pain and death into this world already. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

He raised his head and once more his penetrating eyes met hers. This time they were filled with something more than pain. There was longing there. Longing to be rid of the emptiness that was plaguing his undead heart. Longing for her.

"Spike..." she whispered softly, but was cut off as he crushed his mouth upon hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and she responded hungrily, as desperate to forget her own pain as he was.

As the intensity of the kiss grew, Buffy's hands involuntarily began to explore his bare chest, careful to avoid his injury. In response Spike wrapped an arm around her and began to gently stroke her back.

All too soon for Spike, Buffy pulled back. "No, Spike, we have to stop."

He frowned "You weren't complaining a minute ago."

She shook her head. "I can't do this. We can't do this. You're still upset about Dru and this is all just a reaction to the fact that soon we're going to have to kill the people we love."

"Don't do that," Spike snapped. "Don't just assume that you know what I'm feeling. Has it occurred to you that I might actually like you?"

A small smile curled at the corners of Buffy's lips as Spike gave her the reassurance she needed. She leaned forward and gave him a sweet, gentle kiss.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. You need to rest, and I've got finals in the morning."

Spike nodded and Buffy finished patching up the wound in his shoulder. With one final kiss she went back to her own room, leaving him to try and get some sleep.

* * *

"Finally," Angelus exclaimed as he snatched the piece of paper from his minion's trembling hand. His eyes scanned over the translated ritual and a grin spread over his face. "It's time."

Dismissing his minions with a wave of his hand, he and Dru were left alone. Angelus turned to face the statue.

"Acathla, I come before thee

My blood was tainted, now it is pure

From ancient evil and the gates of hell

I invoke thee

Allow me to ascend

Allow me to become."

Gripping the hilt of the sword he pulled hard, frowning when the sword didn't come free easily. He pulled harder and a white light burst from the sword, a wave of energy knocking him backwards to that he landed a few feet away from the statue. Dru began to wail and he jumped to his feet.

"Damnit! I must have missed something."

* * *

As Buffy awoke the next morning, she had to wonder whether she'd dreamed about the previous night. Not only had she made a truce with Spike, but she had ended up kissing him too. And she'd liked it. Finally curiosity got the better of her and she got up and peered into the spare room. Sure enough Spike lay in bed, sound asleep. She watched him for a moment, a tender smile on her face, before she quietly closed the door and went downstairs for some breakfast.

"Morning, honey," Joyce smiled as her daughter joined her in the kitchen. "All ready for your final exams?"

Buffy grimaced as she made herself a bowl of cereal. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Joyce placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I'm working late at the gallery tonight, but I'll fix us something nice to eat when I get back."

Buffy gave a small smile, knowing that there was a chance she'd be out saving the world by the time her mom got back.

"I'd better go and get ready for school."

* * *

Angelus paced the main room of the mansion while Dru continued to sniffle at his earlier failure.

"I don't understand it." He muttered to himself. "I did the ritual...maybe the translation was wrong."

He was just working himself up to going and beating his translator senseless when Dru let out a loud cry and fell to the floor, caught in a vision. He smiled, maybe this would tell him what he was missing. After a few minutes her cried trailed off and Angelus knelt at her side.

"What did you see? Did you see how to open Acathla?"

Dru gave a dry, hollow laugh as she climbed to her feet. Her eyes met Angelus' and a wicked grin spread across her features.

* * *

None of the students of Sunnydale High School seemed to notice the black-shrouded figure making its way through the corridors. They were all too wrapped up in making sure they reached their exam rooms on time. The figure had a destination, and it made its way uninterrupted.

Buffy sat hunched over her desk, her mind totally focused on her paper. She didn't hear the door to the classroom open and the first thing she noticed was a raspy voice speaking.

"Tonight…sundown…at the graveyard. You will come to him or more will die."

Buffy stared at the vampire pulled off the shawl she was wearing and began to smoke. Some of the students jumped up, stunned at the sight.

"Tonight," the vampire continued, bursting into flames as she spoke. "The hour is at hand."

And with that she burst into flames and crumbled to dust in front of them. The students and teacher screamed and fled, leaving Buffy staring at the smoldering ashes. If this was the way Angel wanted to play it, then that was just fine.

* * *

"You're not bloody going."

Buffy sighed as Spike began to pace up and down the room. She hadn't expected him to take the news well, but this was a little over the top.

"Spike, I have to go. This needs finishing. She said more would die if I didn't go."

Spike looked exasperated. "But you know it's a trap. If you go alone you can guarantee there'll be ten of them. I've known Angelus a lot longer than you have, pet. He doesn't play fair, never has. At least let me go with you."

She shook her head. "I can't risk it Spike, I don't want any more blood on my hands. I appreciate the concern, but now is not the time to start playing the protective boyfriend role."

Spike was stunned into silence "B-boyfriend?"

Before Buffy could respond the phone rang, making them both jump. Buffy walked over and answered it.

"Hello? Hi Wills…yeah, we're just going over there now, what's up?"

As she listened to what Willow had to say, the colour drained from her face and dropped numbly down on the bed.

"I see," she finally said softly. "We'll be there soon. Don't do anything until we arrive. Ok, bye."

As soon as she put the receiver down, Spike hurried to her side.

"What is it?" he asked with concern.

"Willow. She's found a way to restore Angel's soul."

Spike took a seat beside her, not sure what he should say. If Angel got his soul back, all their problems would be over. But somehow he couldn't ignore the pang in his heart at the thought of losing Buffy. Once Angel went back to the way he was she was going to go back to him and he would lose her just like he had lost Dru.

"That's good, right?" he eventually asked tentatively.

Buffy continued to stare at the floor.

"I don't know," she finally said softly. "I never imagined that this would happen."

"Well, now that it has things are nice and simple." he pushed gently, ignoring the voice in his head that was telling him to shut up. "Willow can work her mojo, Angel will get his soul back and things will be back to normal with you two in no time."

Buffy sighed. "I don't think things will ever be the same between us after everything that's happened," She looked at him carefully. "What about you?"

Spike was surprised that she was even thinking about him now that Angel was back on the scene.

"What about me, luv?"

"Will you go back to Drusilla if we get Angel back? I'm pretty sure she won't want to be around him once he's good again."

Spike thought for a second before shaking his head. "I don't think so. A relationship isn't quite so fun when you know you're playing second to someone else. When this is all over, I think I'll be due some alone time."

Buffy took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "You only need to be alone if you want to be. I'll be here for you no matter what happens."

_But not in the way I want_ , he thought to himself.

"Come on," Buffy said, standing up. "We need to go to the library and figure out what we're going to do."

Spike nodded and followed her downstairs.

Buffy was just closing the front door when a car pulled up. It was her mother. Cursing under her breath she elbowed Spike in the ribs.

"Be ready to back up whatever I say." she hissed before putting on her best smile.

"Mom, hi."

Joyce's eyes were fixed on Spike, nothing but suspicion in them.

"Going out?" she finally asked. "With your friend?"

Buffy laughed. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that. Mom, this is…uh…"

"William." Spike volunteered.

Buffy sighed with relief. "Right, this is William. He's Mr. Giles' nephew. I've been giving him a tour of Sunnydale while his uncle finishes up at the school. We're just on our way back to the library now."

Spike was amazed at how easily the lies flowed off Buffy's tongue; she must have to do this a lot. What amazed him more was the fact that Buffy's mum clearly had no idea that her daughter was the Slayer, despite everything that went on in Sunnydale. Still, the cover story must have worked because Joyce was now smiling at him.

"So, William, are you from England too?"

He nodded. "Born and raised in London, but I've spent a lot of time traveling."

If it was possible Joyce's smile widened. If there was one thing that interested her more than art, it was travel.

"Really?" she asked with delight. "Where have you traveled to?"

"Mostly around Europe. Spain, Prague, Romania, places like that. I spent some time in China too."

Buffy didn't know whether to be delighted or horrified that her mother was bonding so well with Spike. She never liked any of the men Buffy even showed an interest in, and her opinion of the men Buffy had dated was best left unmentioned.

Of course, peace and Buffy's life didn't mix for very long. Just as her mother and Spike were getting into a discussion of life in Prague, a vampire leapt from the bushes and lunged at them. Spike immediately went into defensive mode, punching the vampire twice and sending him spinning towards Buffy. Reflexes and instinct took over and he pulled a stake from her pocket and plunged it into his heart.

It was only when the ashes settled to reveal the stunned face of her mother that she realized what she'd done.

Joyce shook her head, trying to convince herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Buffy? What's going on? Did that man just explode?"

Buffy groaned. This was possibly the worst time ever that her mom could have seen that. She walked over and took her mom's arm as she looked like she was about to keel over.

"Come inside, Mom, I'll explain everything."

Too stunned to do anything else, Joyce nodded faintly and allowed her daughter to lead her into the house. Not sure what else to do, Spike followed.

Once Joyce was sat down and sipping a cup of tea, Buffy took a deep breath.

"Ok, mom, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound really weird but you have to believe me…I'm a vampire Slayer."

Spike quickly grabbed Joyce's teacup before she could drop it, but she barely noticed.

"Y-you're a what?"

"A vampire Slayer," Buffy repeated. "Ok, the short version is this: in each generation, one girl is born who is destined to fight the forces of evil. That's me."

Joyce stared at Buffy for a little longer before climbing shakily to her feet. "I don't know how long this has been going on for but it stops now. Buffy, you need help. There are doctors out there who can-"

"I'm not crazy!!" Buffy yelled. "Open your eyes, Mom. Think about all the weird stuff that's happened in this town. Think about all the people that disappear, the ones that turn up dead. You think those kinds of things are normal?"

Joyce shook her head. "You really expect me to believe that those terrible things were done by vampires?"

Buffy was at a loss as to what else she could do to convince her mom she was telling the truth. At this rate she was going to end up in an institution, her mom was so determined not to see what was right under her nose.

"Maybe I can help." Spike said softly. Buffy caught his eye and immediately saw what he was thinking. She hadn't wanted to traumatize her mom any further, but she could see now that she had no choice. She gave Spike a nod and he slipped into vamp face, letting out a soft growl in the process. Hearing the sound, Joyce turned to face him and on seeing his face she screamed and jumped to her feet.

"Mom, it's ok," Buffy tried to reassure. "Spike's on our side."

Joyce continued to stare at him as he slid back into his human features. Finally she sat back down and picked up her tea with shaking hands.

"I can't believe I never saw it before."

"You'd be surprised how many things people won't admit to themselves," Buffy said gently before standing up. "Mom, I'm sorry to do this to you now, but Spike and I really have to go. Just stay inside and don't invite anyone in. I promise we'll talk when I get back and I'll answer all your questions."

As Joyce met her daughter's eyes, she saw a fierce determination that told her not to argue.

"Just be careful, Buffy. Slayer or not, I'm still your mother and I still worry about you."

Buffy smiled, thankful that her mom was at least accepting that she was telling the truth, even if she was still having trouble coming to terms with it.

"I'll be careful, I promise. Spike, lets go."

As the two of them headed out of the front door, Joyce prayed that her daughter would be kept safe.

* * *

The journey to the library was made in silence, both Buffy and Spike trying to digest what had just happened. Buffy couldn't believe that she'd just told her mother who she really was, and Spike couldn't believe that he'd helped.

Finally, Buffy reached out and took Spike's hand in hers as they walked.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been there to help."

He gently stroked her hand with his thumb. "No problem, luv. Glad I could help."

The walk was over all too soon and they found themselves outside the school.

"I guess things are going to change after this." Spike said, almost sadly.

Buffy nodded. "I guess so. Spike, I-"

He raised his hand to stop her. "Don't. I knew this was never going to work, at least this way one of us gets to be happy."

Before she could reply he gently kissed her and turned and headed into the building. She quickly followed him, determined that they were going to have a proper talk when this was all over.

* * *

As they entered the library Buffy noticed that it was eerily quiet.

"Where is everyone?" Spike asked softly but before Buffy could answer a hand grabbed his arm, flipping him over so that he landed hard on his back. It wasn't until Buffy saw the stake hurtling towards Spike's chest that she realized what was happening.

"Don't!" she yelled, and the stake stopped an inch from Spike's heart.

"I see your reflexes are still good." she said dryly to Spike's attacker.

"And I see you are still saving vampires," Kendra replied equally as dryly, standing up but not bothering to help Spike up. "Is this your latest boyfriend?"

Buffy's cheeks flushed but she was saved from answering by the rest of the gang hurrying out of Giles' office.

"Ah, Buffy, you're here at last."

She nodded. "Good thing too, Kendra was about to introduce Spike to her stake."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that, a slight oversight on my part. With everything that's going on, I forgot to tell Kendra about Spike."

The lack of remorse in his voice made Buffy wonder just how accidental it had been. She was pretty sure that Giles wouldn't have shed any tears if Kendra had dusted Spike. Still, there was no time to argue now, she had to go and meet Angel. It was time to finish this.

"I have to go," she told the group. "Willow, I want you to try the curse. If something happens to me, it might be our last chance to stop Angel. Kendra, Spike, I know that if I fail and the curse doesn't work that you guys will get the job done."

They both nodded, grim determination in their eyes.

"Watch your back," Spike said softly. "Angel will aim for your blind spots."

Buffy nodded and smiled her thanks. Kendra stepped forward and handed Buffy a stake "I have killed many vampires with this stake, it will bring you luck. I call it Mr. Pointy."

Buffy grinned. "You named your stake?"

Kendra returned the smile and nodded.

"Thank you."

Before anyone else could say anything, Buffy hurried out of the library and made her way to the graveyard to face Angel.

As soon as the doors swung shut, Willow addressed the others

"I prepared all the ingredients in case Buffy wanted to do the curse, but I'm going to need some help with the incantation."

Giles nodded. "I can help with that part."

"Alright. Xander, Cordy I'll need you two to help me with the actual spell. Let's get everything set up."

As the gang cluttered around in the background, Spike began to pace the library. He hated this, letting Buffy go off to fight on her own while he stood around uselessly.

"Stop that," Kendra growled in annoyance. "You're making me dizzy."

Spike glared at her before looking back at the door. "I'm going after her."

She jumped to her feet. "What? You can't!"

"I bloody well can. I'm not going to sit around on my ass while Buffy gets herself killed."

He turned to leave and Kendra grabbed hold of his arm. "If you go you'll only make things worse."

"QUIET!"

They both turned to find Giles glaring at them. "This is a very ancient and dangerous spell we are performing. We need to concentrate and we can't with you two making all that bloody noise. Spike, you're not moving an inch until we're done so just sit down and shut up."

A stunned silence fell in the room for a moment and then Willow cleared her throat.

"Well, I think we're ready to begin."

At that moment the doors to the library burst open and Dru walked in, flanked on either side by several vampires.

"Oh, look," she smiled evilly. "A party."

* * *

As Buffy entered the cemetery, she was surprised to see that Angel was indeed alone.

"I wasn't sure you'd come." he said with a smirk.

"You didn't leave me much of a choice." she replied bitterly.

"Ah, a true representation of the forces of good," Angel laughed. "I threaten innocent lives and you come running."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Look, Angel, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got places to be. Can we just make with the fighting?"

Angel looked falsely hurt. "You want to fight after all we've been through together?"

Buffy stared at him, her face blank. There was no way he was getting to her now. Seeing that his jibes were having no effect, Angelus shrugged. "Ok, we can fight."

He lunged at Buffy and she quickly deflected his blow, sending him sprawling to the side. He quickly jumped to his feet and turned back to face her.

"Not pulling your punches I see."

"I want this over with."

"Fine by me."

They met again, fists moving so fast that it would have looked like little more than a blur to the outside viewer, neither one seemed to gain the upper hand. They were equally matched in strength, agility and resourcefulness. Minutes passed and the fight continued until they both stopped at the same time, stepping back to regroup themselves.

"Well," Angel grinned. "That was the warm up. You ready to start the real fighting now?"

Buffy pulled out Kendra's stake. "How about I introduce you to Mr. Pointy instead."

He cocked his head to one side and frowned.

"You named your stake?" his frown quickly turned into a wide smile. "You know what, I'm getting kind of bored. I think maybe I'll go home and end the world."

"You're not going anywhere until we finish this." Buffy hissed.

To her surprise, Angel began to laugh. "Oh, Buffy, that's what I love about you. You're so gullible. Did you really think I got you to come out here so that we could fight to the death? This was nothing to do with us."

The colour drained from her face as she realized what he was saying. He'd wanted her out of the way, that was all. He was after the others. She turned and ran.

"Falls for it every time," Angel laughed to himself. "You can run all you like, Buffy. You'll never get there in time."

* * *

Spike and Kendra immediately formed a fighting stance as the vampires burst in. Several of them made their way over to Willow and the others, while Dru faced off against Kendra.

"Go and help them," Kendra instructed Spike, pulling out a stake. "I'll handle this."

Seeing that the others were struggling, Spike did as he was asked, pulling one of the vampires off Willow and grabbing a stake from Giles who had managed to get some weapons from the cupboard.

Dru's eyes glittered evilly as she and Kendra circled each other. "Come on, deary, it's time to play."

Kendra dealt Dru a punch, which she easily blocked before sweeping her feet out from under her. As she tried to climb to her feet Dru grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall.

Using her free hand, she gently stroked Kendra's cheek, relishing in the fear that was reflected in her eyes.

"Like taking sweeties from a child. Now let's rock you to sleep."

She waved her fingers in front of Kendra eyes; using the hypnotic skills she had picked up on her travels. "Be in my eyes, be in me."

As Kendra's eyes glazed over Dru lowered her hand but kept their eyes locked. She raised her sharpened nails.

"Time to say goodnight, my pretty."

As Spike fought, he noticed that things seemed to be evening out. Between them they had killed most of the vampires, leaving only a couple left. He glanced over to see how Kendra was faring and saw that Dru was using her little party trick to subdue the Slayer.

"Bloody hell." he muttered, leaving the others to deal with the remaining vampires as he ran over to help. He grabbed Dru by the waist and pulled her away from Kendra, breaking their eye contact and ending the spell. Kendra blinked as she tried to focus her eyes.

"Dru, you know it's finished," Spike growled. "Your little friends are dust, so why don't you go back to Angel and tell him its over?"

Dru began to laugh. "Over, my Spike? It's only just begun."

She reached into her dress and pulled out a small leather pouch. Murmuring something under her breath she poured the contents into her hand: a fine powder, which glittered as it fell. Once the palm of her hand was full, she gently blew it and the dust somehow spread itself throughout the room. Instantly, everyone stopped and slumped to the floor, locked in an enchanted sleep. The only ones left standing were Dru and the two remaining vampires, whom she'd taken the liberty of protecting with magic before they'd left the mansion.

"Do we kill them?" one of the vampires growled, looking down at the sleeping bodies at his feet.

Dru shook her head. "They'll die soon enough. Let's take what we came for."

The two vamps nodded and made their way over to her. Hoisting up Spike's limp body, they made their way out of the library, leaving it in silence.

* * *

Buffy burst through the library door and stopped dead as she saw everyone lying unconscious on the floor. She quickly knelt beside Kendra and shook her shoulder, sighing with relief as she began to stir.

"What happened?" she asked as Kendra sat up.

"Don't know," she replied, rubbing her eyes and looking around. "We were fighting and then I just felt so tired."

"Looks like a spell of some sorts. Come on, help me wake the others."

Once everyone was awake, they gathered around the table to discuss what had happened. Kendra told Buffy exactly what had happened, starting from when Drusilla had burst in right up to the point where they had all been knocked out. As Kendra explained how Spike had saved her, Buffy looked around.

"Where is Spike anyway?"

Kendra shrugged. "They must have taken him."

"Either that or he was in on this the whole time," Xander suggested. "I told you we shouldn't have trusted him."

Buffy shook her head. "No, that doesn't make any sense. If Spike was in on this, then they would have killed you all before taking off."

Giles sighed. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Buffy. For whatever reason, I think Spike was taken involuntarily."

Buffy began to pace. "So, why did they take him?"

* * *

"Finally," Angel sighed in exasperation as Spike opened his eyes. "I was getting tired of waiting for you to wake up. A few more minutes and things would have gotten nasty."

Spike quickly took in his surroundings and found that he was tied to a chair in the middle of Angel's bedroom.

"Well, you know me, always one to keep people waiting. Although I must say, I hadn't quite expected to wake up here. What's wrong, pet? Decided you missed me after all?"

Angel laughed. "Spike, my boy, you have no idea how right you are. You see, you're going to open Acathla for me."

* * *

"Here's something," Giles said, looking up from his book. Buffy had insisted that they reread everything concerning Acathla to see if they had missed something. "After the knight had pierced Acathla's heart, he and his brethren cast a spell on the sword to protect it and to stop anyone reawakening the demon. The spell meant that the only one worthy to remove the sword was a vampire who loved a Slayer. They assumed that no such thing would ever happen, and that Acathla would be safe. They buried the tomb and nothing more was recorded. When I read this, I assumed that it referred to Angel before he lost his soul, but maybe Spike…"

Images of the last couple of days flashed through Buffy's mind. She saw Spike's forlorn face as he peered in her bedroom window; the look of longing in his eyes just before he had kissed her; the way he'd bonded so easily with her mom; the sad look in his eyes when he'd more or less said goodbye to her outside the library.

"He loves me," she whispered as the realization sunk in. Seconds passed as she tried to digest this and finally she jumped to her feet. "We've got to get him out of there. Willow, I want you to try the curse again. Angel has what he wants so there's no way he's going to attack again. I'm going over to the mansion."

Kendra stood up. "I'm going with you."

Buffy began to argue but Kendra shook her head.

"I'm coming. You need someone to watch your back," she lowered her eyes, almost embarrassed. "Spike saved my life, I want to help."

Her final words made Buffy relent and she nodded. Besides, two Slayers were better than one. Kendra reached into her bag and pulled out a long item wrapped in cloth, handing it to Buffy. She unraveled it to find an intricately designed sword.

"If all else fails, this can be used to close the portal."

Buffy looked at the sword grimly. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Hey now, don't you pass out on me."

Spike felt a hand slapping his face as he drifted back from the darkness. He opened his swollen eyes and a blurred image of Angelus came into view. The image grinned.

"Good. You're no good to me if you’re unconscious. Now then, are you ready to help me yet?"

He shook his head weakly.

"Why are you doing this?" Angelus yelled with exasperation. "For Buffy? Come on, Spike, let's be realistic here. Do you ever think she'd love a monster like you? She had a hard enough time dealing with soul-boy, never mind an evil creature of the damned like you."

He placed a hand on Spike's shoulder, which like the rest of him, was cut and bruised. He softened his voice and leaned in close. "We've been at this for hours now, and you've been very brave for your precious Buffy, but you know I can carry on with this torture for days if I want to. You can end it, Spike. Help me."

Spike raised his head so that his eyes were level with Angelus'. "Go. To. Hell."

Angelus sighed and straightened. "Well, I would but you're making it very difficult."

Spike closed his eyes and let his head drop back down to his chest. Angelus studied him for a moment before he got an idea.

"Time to try something else. DRU!!"

At the sound of her name she hurried into the room, smiling at the sight of Spike's beaten body. Angelus turned to face her.

"Do you want to have some fun with Spike?"

He walked over to her and whispered in her ear. She giggled. "I like this game, my Angel."

She knelt down in front of Spike, cupping his chin in her hand and raising his head. His eyes opened once more and as soon as they met hers, she waved her fingers in front of his eyes, just as she had done with Kendra.

"Be in me," she whispered before placing her hand over his eyes. "See with your heart."

She removed her hand and Spike's bloodied lips spread into a smile as he saw Buffy kneeling before him. He tried to speak but she placed a gentle finger on his lips.

"Shhh, I'm going to get you out of here."

She walked behind him and carefully undid the ropes that were binding his wrists, then she moved back around to the front and did the same with his ankles.

"We've got to get out of here," Spike whispered harshly. "Angel needs me to open Acathla."

"I know," she replied, brushing a soft kiss over his lips. "Let's go."

She helped him to his feet and let him lean on her as they stumbled out into the main room. Angelus followed close behind, enjoying the show. Rather than making her way to the door, Dru guided Spike over to the statue.

"Buffy? What are you doing?"

"Spike, do you trust me?"

He nodded. "You know I do."

"I want you to pull out the sword."

He jerked his head around, total shock in his eyes.

"It's ok," she reassured. "We found a spell to keep Acathla dormant permanently, but Giles needs to study the sword to see how the knights protected it."

He looked uncertainly back at the statue. "You said you trusted me, Spike. It'll be ok, I promise."

He looked back at Buffy, complete love and trust in his eyes. "Alright."

She smiled and pulled out a small dagger. Taking his hand in hers she drew the blade across so that blood welled up. "All you need to do is pull."

Giving her one last look, he turned back to the statue, grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled.

"Spike, no!"

At the sound of someone calling his name, he spun around and his eyes widened. Buffy stood in the doorway, Kendra at her side. If Buffy was there then who…he turned back and saw Dru at his side where Buffy had been a moment before. The sword slipped from his numb fingers and clattered to the floor; she had tricked him.

Angelus picked up the sword and turned to face Buffy. "Hello, lover. You're just in time to see the gates of hell open."

Buffy raised her own sword. "No, I'm just in time to close them."

Angel lunged and Buffy barely managed to deflect the blow that was aimed right for her heart. The fight, it seemed, had begun. It had been a while since Buffy had used a sword and she just hoped she could remember the moves. As Angel lunged again, however, it all came flooding back. Buffy began to attack, putting Angel on the defense. Angel slashed out at her and the tip of the sword caught her arm, drawing blood. She swung back at him back but only succeeded in tearing his shirt. Both of them were now glistening with perspiration but neither showed any signs of slowing, despite Buffy's wound. The fight was fast and furious, blades clashing again and again as they blocked and parried, yet the way they moved made the fight seem almost like a dance.

As Buffy and Angel fought, Kendra made her way over to Spike, determined to get him out of there. Her path, however, was blocked by Drusilla.

"Hello, my pretty. We meet again," Dru dealt a still stunned Spike a powerful punch, which knocked him out in his weakened state. She turned back to Kendra. "No Spike to save you this time."

Kendra raised her stake. "Don't need him."

"You really have got Spike house-trained, haven't you." Angel hissed as he and Buffy continued to fight. "You should have seen it, I tortured him for hours and he wouldn't give in but as soon as you asked him he was more than willing to help."

Buffy felt a pang in her heart as she realized they had somehow used her to trick Spike into removing the sword. Rage soon overcame the pain she was feeling and she attacked Angel harder and faster, forcing him back with every step she took forward. Finally she had him backed against the wall and she raised her sword, ready to take his head off. At that moment his eyes glowed for a second and he let out a gasp of pain before dropping to his knees. Moments later he raised his head and the tears in his eyes told her that the curse had worked.

Dru looked over as she saw Angel fall, and Kendra used the distraction to plunge the stake into her heart. Buffy glanced back and saw Drusilla crumble to dust, it was nearly over. Now all she had to do was close the portal.

Hurrying over to the statue, she raised her sword and plunged it towards its heart. Before it could enter, a white light emerged and deflected the blade. Acathla let out a low rumble as be prepared to draw breath.

Spike woke up just in time to see Buffy's failed attempt to close the portal. He knew what needed to be done. Struggling to his feet he stumbled over to Buffy and stood between her and the statue.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked. "Get out of the way, I need to figure out how to close this thing before we all die."

He remained motionless.

"I know how to close it," he whispered softly. "You have to kill me."

Fear clutched her heart for a moment but she pushed it away. She wasn't going to lose him, not now. Not when she'd just realized what he meant to her. She shook her head.

"No!"

"Buffy, luv, you have to. My blood opened the portal, my blood has to close it."

Tears began to roll down her face. "No, there must be some other way."

He shook his head. "There's no other way. You know you have to do this, you said yourself that we all die otherwise."

She choked back a small sob. "Spike, I can't. I-I love you."

Behind him the portal opened, growing wider by the second. Spike could sense it but he didn't turn around, instead he smiled at Buffy.

"I never thought I'd hear you say those words. Trust me, they'll make an eternity in hell bearable. Now do it before it's too late."

Buffy leaned forward and kissed him with every ounce of love in her soul. Finally she pulled back and raised the sword.

"I love you, Spike. Never forget that."

He nodded and before she could change her mind she plunged the sword into his heart.

The pain he felt was agonizing but he resisted the urge to close his eyes, he wanted her face to be the last thing he saw.

"Thank you." he whispered and with a flash he was gone. A now dormant Acathla stood in his place, the sword in his heart glittering in the light.

Buffy took a small step back, unable to take her eyes away from the statue. A numbness had invaded her like she had never felt before, it was like nothing existed except the knowledge that she had just condemned the man she loved to an eternity of torture.

Angel sobbed quietly as he remembered what he had done while Angelus had been in control, Buffy barely heard him. Kendra placed a hand on her shoulder but she barely felt it.

"We should go." Kendra said softly.

Buffy heard the words but somehow they didn't register, she couldn't even bring herself to move.

"Buffy?" Angel's wavering voice cut through the haze in her mind. "I'm sorry."

Those two words brought the emotional wall she had built up crumbling down. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Sorry wouldn't even begin to cover what had happened to Spike. It was all her fault, she shouldn't have allowed him to get close, shouldn't have allowed him to fall in love with her, shouldn't have loved him back.

Seeing that Buffy still needed some time, Kendra moved back and went to check on Angel.

As Buffy continued to cry, a low rumble echoed through the mansion and her head shot up, afraid that her attempt to seal Acathla had failed. The statue stood just as she had left it but a white light was spilling from the point where the sword had entered his heart, filling the room to the stage where Buffy had to shield her eyes to stop herself from being blinded.

Moments later the light faded and Buffy uncovered her eyes. The statue remained as it was but now Spike lay in a crumpled heap at its feet. Buffy stared, unable to register what she was seeing. Finally, with a small cry she scrambled over to his side, not daring to hope that he was back.

Wherever he had been, it had clearly not been kind to him. His clothes were in shreds and his body littered with ever type of wound imaginable. His face was so swollen that she barely recognized him, but in her heart she knew who it was. Tentatively she reached out a shaking hand, trying to convince herself that he was real.

Her fingertips were a few inches away from his face when his eyes quivered and opened, and he coughed weakly.

"Buffy?" He croaked.

The sound of her name was all she needed to hear. Gathering him into her arms she buried her face in his hair sobbing.

"I'm so sorry, Spike," she whispered as she cried. "I'm so sorry."

He lay there for a few moments, waiting to wake up from what was obviously a dream. Just a moment ago he'd been suffering unbearable torture in the depths of hell and now here he was, being cradled by the woman he loved. As he felt her warm tears splash onto his face, he realized that this was no dream.

"What happened?" he whispered.

She pulled back, the tears still running freely and brushed a hand lightly over his battered features. "I don't know."

"Maybe I can help."

Buffy, Spike, Kendra and Angel all turned their heads to the doorway where a man stood. He was quite small and dressed in possibly the worst suit ever seen. Everyone looked confused except Angel who had recognition in his eyes.

"It's you." he said softly.

"Who are you?" Kendra asked.

"Whistler," the man replied, keeping his eyes on Angel as he knelt down beside him. "I'm sorry it happened like this."

Tears began to flow down Angel's cheeks again as he was reminded of what he had done. Whistler patted his shoulder gently before standing up and walking over to Buffy and Spike.

"Congratulations, you did it. You closed Acathla and saved the world."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I know this already, why don't you tell me something new, like why Spike is here."

"Woah, you're a pushy one aren't you," Whistler held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, you want it straight, here it is. The powers that be were so pleased with the sacrifice you both made that they decided to give you a little reward. Now, they don't do this very often so I hope you appreciate it."

"So he's back for good?"

Whistler nodded. "Never thought I'd see the day when the powers would help out a soulless vampire. You two are very lucky."

Buffy looked down at Spike who had slipped back into unconsciousness. "Yeah, I know."

Whistler walked back over to Angel.

"I have a message for you too. You're no longer needed here," he gestured over to Buffy and Spike. "Those two are going to be enough for this town, time for you to go and protect somewhere that needs you."

Angel climbed to his feet, looking over to where Buffy was whispering comforts to Spike. Instantly he could see how much she loved him, and as much as it pained him he knew he had to let her go.

"Alright," he said to Whistler. "I'll go with you."

Kendra walked over to Buffy and Spike.

"Can you help me?" she asked. "We need to take him somewhere to rest, I don't want to hurt him."

Kendra nodded. "The sun is up, where can we take him?"

"One of the bedrooms in here will do for now. I'll take him back to my house at sunset."

Between them the lifted him carefully and carried him into the bedroom. Once they had placed him on the bed, Buffy set about making him more comfortable, removing his shoes and pulling the covers over him.

Once she was sure he was settled, she turned to Kendra.

"Can you go to the library and tell Giles what happened? I want to stay with Spike. Get Giles to call my mom and tell her I'm ok, she'll be worrying."

Kendra nodded and with a quick smile she left Buffy alone. Seeing that Spike was sleeping peacefully, she made her way out into the main room.

Angel was alone, stood in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames.

"Whistler's gone to get his car," he said flatly. "Seems I'm needed in LA now."

Buffy gave a small smile. "LA? At least it's not too far."

He turned to face her. "Buffy, I-"

She shook her head. "Don't, I know it wasn't you who did those things. But I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

He nodded and turned his head to the door at the sound of Whistler's car pulling up. "I should go."

Buffy nodded. "Take care, Angel."

"I never thought I'd hear myself saying this but I hope things work out with you and Spike, he really does love you, you know."

She smiled. "I know, thank you."

Placing a quick kiss on her cheek he ran out to the car, avoiding the rays of the sun.

As the car sped away, Buffy sighed. It was finally over.

A cry from the bedroom made her jump and she hurried back in to find Spike writhing on the bed, caught in a nightmare.

"Buffy…no…don't."

She quickly climbed into bed beside him, pulling him into her arms and stroking his hair gently.

"Shh, I'm here. It's ok."

His eyes opened and he began to shake. "I dreamed that you left me, promise me you won't leave."

"Never." she replied.

And as she lay there, holding him in her arms, she knew that she never would.

The End


End file.
